FAIRBANKS — A week after posting a season-high six goals against Ohio State, the No. 7 Michigan hockey team struggled all night to find the back of the net in its 4-1 loss to Alaska.

The Wolverines outshot the Nanooks 30-23, and were not called for a single penalty all night, but were unable to recover from two back-to-back Alaska goals within 50 seconds in the middle of the second period.

Michigan also lost freshman second-line forward David Wohlberg for tomorrow night’s game with what appeared to be a left-knee injury. Michigan coach Red Berenson did not yet know how long the left-winger would be out. Wohlberg was injured a little over five minutes into the third period when he was slammed into the left boards by the goal line.

After venturing 3,700 miles to The Last Frontier, the Wolverines couldn’t have played a more lackluster opening period. Other than an offside and icing stoppages, the referees didn’t blow their whistles once for a penalty. The only sign of intensity in the frame came from the two Nanook mascots, banging the flimsy boards behind the goals on each end of the ice.

Not even Michigan’s early lamp-lighter less than eight minutes into the game incited any boos from the sparse and silent Carlson Center crowd.

Freshman defenseman Brandon Burlon, making his career debut after an ankle injure sidelined him for a month, hand passed the puck to himself at the Wolverine blue line to ignite the scoring play. Burlon skated the puck past a Nanook forward to the Alaska blue line before hitting senior forward Travis Turnbull at the top of the left circle. Turnbull found Wohlberg, who went top right shelf from the high slot to put the Wolverines up 1-0.

The goal was Wohlberg’s second of his career, and second in two games. Last week, he scored on a shorthanded opportunity against Ohio State.

The crowd finally woke up in the second period with the help of two Nanook goals within 50 seconds of each other.

With 7:46 remaining, Alaska forward Braden Walls found top-line center Adam Naglich alone between the two circles from just inside the left blue line. Naglich made a great move, faking forehand to split goalie Billy Sauer’s legs, before shooting it backhanded through Sauer’s five-hole to tie the game at one apiece.

The Nanooks’ next goal, less than a minute later, was as ugly as their first was pretty. Alaska defenseman Scott Enders threw the puck on goal from the right blue line, but the puck took a weird bounce off of Sauer’s stick and went over his left shoulder to give Alaska its first lead and garner some of the crowd’s loudest cheers of the night.

Michigan outshot Alaska 11-4 in the middle frame, and had the game’s first and the period’s only power play, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. The Wolverines attempted 29 shots (including ones blocked by the defense and fired off target) in the frame — the Nanooks’ game total up to that point.

The Wolverines had a few good opportunities early in the third period, but once again couldn’t convert.

Sophomore Chad Langlais, replacing Burlon after a broken stick, intercepted a Nanook pass on the Michigan blue line and sprinted up ice barely ahead of an Alaskan defender. Langlais shot for the five hole, but Nanook goalie Chad Johnson made a solid save and pushed the puck to the right of the net.

Michigan was also stuffed on its second of two power-play chances later in the third.

And the Wolverines’ struggles were countered by a nail-in-the-coffin Nanook goal with two and a half minutes remaining. Forward Bryant Molle’s slapshot from the left point was saved and rebounded by Sauer’s right blocker to Dion Knelsen who slammed the puck home past an out-of-position Sauer.

Alaska added an empty-net score to seal the game for good with just over a minute remaining.

The two teams face off again tomorrow night for the second and final game of the series.